Who We Are

Alex Arriaga has served in leadership positions at the White House, the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Congress, at major non-profit organizations, and now in the private sector. She has more than 30 years of experience working at the global and national levels crafting policies, bridging communities, and achieving priorities to advance human rights. At the state and local levels, she is known for working to enable education for all.

Arriaga is Founder and Partner at Strategy for Humanity, a consulting firm that works with mission-driven organizations and those who fund them to develop effective strategies, conduct smart advocacy and analysis, and achieve meaningful results. The firm embraces diversity as an asset for success and the leadership team is woman-, minority-, LGBTQ-, survivor-, and person with disabilities–led. Grounded in the belief that how you do business is as important as what you achieve, the firm’s practices facilitate bridging differences, strengthening shared approaches, and crafting a common agenda forward. At Strategy for Humanity, Arriaga leads a team of highly experienced leaders with deep expertise, creative problem-solving, and effective leadership.

Prior to launching Strategy for Humanity, Arriaga was active in the public and non-profit sectors. During her tenure leading government relations, policy, and advocacy for Amnesty International USA, The Hill recognized AIUSA as a top human rights lobby in Washington, and Arriaga was featured in “A Pragmatic Idealist Pursues Justice for All” (The Washington Post). At the White House, Arriaga was appointed Special Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff to the President’s Special Envoy for the Americas. There she influenced U.S. policy toward countries throughout Latin America. Arriaga previously served as a senior advisor in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor at the U.S. Department of State where she was U.S. Delegate to the UN’s Commission on Human Rights (twice), a member of the Department’s Bosnia Task Force, and Executive Director of the Secretary of State’s Advisory Committee on Religious Freedom Abroad. Arriaga began her career in the U.S. House of Representatives as director of the bipartisan Congressional Human Rights Caucus where she increased participation to involve a majority of the U.S. Congress (across party lines) and focused on more than 100 countries and myriad issues.

At the local level, Arriaga is active on education issues. In recognition of her strategic and impactful thought leadership, Governor Ralph Northam appointed Arriaga to serve on the non-partisan State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV), where she is influencing strategies to achieve the Commonwealth’s goal of having 70 percent of all working-age Virginians complete higher education. The Arlington School Board recognized Arriaga as an Honored Citizen for her extraordinary and multi-year contributions to improve the education experience for students with disabilities. Arriaga’s work was showcased in “More Autism Training for Teachers” (The Washington Post). She also engaged in a national task force to address college sexual assault.

Arriaga has written numerous articles and reports and is the recipient of many awards for her leadership and service, including the U.S. Secretary of State’s Superior Honor Award, the University of Virginia’s Distinguished Alumna Award, and the Minority Business & Professionals Network Award for Outstanding Leadership, Service, and Achievement. Arriaga serves on non-profit boards advancing human rights, education, disability inclusion, and gender equality and is currently Vice Chair of the Academic Affairs Committee for the SCHEV, Vice Chair of The Jefferson Trust, Co-Chair of the Women’s Refugee Commission, and Secretary of the International Law and Human Rights Institute. Arriaga is bilingual in English and Spanish and is a first generation American of Spanish and Chilean descent.